Find Her

Was it because the country was already in turmoil, coupled with some recent unpleasantness?

Even Dver, who usually didn’t interfere much with Kyle’s actions, showed reluctance and initially tried to dissuade his son when he suddenly announced he would be traveling quite far with Sylvia.

But thanks to Roxanne’s defense of Kyle, the three were fortunately able to board the carriage and set off on their journey to bring Anise back.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen Father so worried.”

“You’re telling me. I was a little taken aback myself.”

Vermilion, who was listening to their conversation, scratched his head with an awkward expression.

No matter how he thought about it, going that far in this situation, with the Eyes of Dawn watching them most closely, felt like an unreasonable move in many ways.

“Maybe it would have been better if I had gone alone…”

“Don’t think like that, Drake-gongja. Isn’t it safer with three people than one?”

“Yeah, Sylvia is right. It’s better than sending you alone and finding you as a corpse.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Kyle’s words were a bit harsh, but Vermilion couldn’t argue, so he nodded with a wry smile.

He, too, had been secretly relieved when he heard that Kyle, a great asset, would accompany him.

No matter how much Vermilion’s skills had improved, he knew better than anyone that they were nothing compared to Kyle’s.

Besides, Sylvia had recently learned magic, so he couldn’t help but feel even more secure.

“Speaking of which, I heard that Eleanor-gongnyeo is also learning magic. Has she made any progress?”

Reaching that point in his thoughts, Vermilion suddenly became curious about Sylvia’s specific progress and opened his mouth.

It had only been a little over a month, so he didn’t expect much progress.

Still, considering that she was none other than the owner of the Evil Eye, he couldn’t help but feel a little anticipation.

“Progress? It’s beyond that. If she does well, she’ll surpass you and me in no time.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Wh-what are you saying, Kyle? You’re exaggerating too much.”

Kyle responded with a sneer, as if saying, ‘You know nothing.’ Vermilion’s consciousness momentarily stopped.

On the other hand, Sylvia, who was sitting next to Kyle, was taken aback by his words and grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Just how much progress has she made to warrant such a story…”

“Would you believe me if I said she became proficient in using Igor in just one month?”

“…….”

What? She learned to use what in one month?

Vermilion widened his eyes and blinked blankly.

Igor wasn’t just some dog’s name.

It was a high-level magic spell that straddled the 5th and 6th Circles.

The common truth was that ordinary, mediocre magicians could only reach the 5th Circle after a lifetime of effort. Was Sylvia saying that she had reached that level in just one month?

He wondered if she was joking to tease him, so he looked at Sylvia, but she avoided his gaze and blushed.

Only then did Vermilion realize that all of this was true.

‘I feel sorry for my past self, who was once called a genius.’

Born into the Drake family, a prestigious family of magic, and considered a promising talent within the family, even he could only barely straddle the 5th and 6th Circles before becoming an adult.

Moreover, unlike Sylvia, he had devoted his entire life to magic.

And even though he was worthy of being called a genius, Vermilion had to acknowledge the wall that was her talent, which was not just a spoonful, but several spoonfuls greater than his.

“…If that’s true, then you and I are just commoners.”

“That’s right. I was so dumbfounded while teaching her.”

“P-please stop, both of you…!”

Sylvia couldn’t stand it any longer and shouted at the two people who were feeling empty and smiling wryly at each other, but they didn’t seem to want to stop talking.

“At this rate, isn’t the next Archmage position already decided?”

“If we told the current Archmage this fact, he’d say, ‘Oh, welcome!’ and vacate his position early.”

“I’m just amazed that I can’t deny it.”

“Yeah, it would be good to take Sylvia to the Magic Tower sometime when we have the chance.”

She had no interest in the Archmage position, so why was everyone making such a fuss?

From Sylvia’s perspective, she had only started learning magic to avoid causing trouble for Kyle, and she never thought the day would come when she would feel ashamed because of it.

“Eleanor-gongnyeo, if it’s not too much trouble, could you tell me later what kind of enlightenment you had?”

“It’s useless. I asked her directly, and she just said, ‘I just used it with a whoosh, bang! feeling, and it worked.'”

“Indeed, it was my mistake to try to learn from a genius.”

“Ugh…!”

And so, Sylvia had to endure attacks from both sides until they stopped to rest and visit a village.

If she had known it would be like this, she wouldn’t have learned magic, she thought nonchalantly, saying something that would make other magicians vomit blood, and decided to endure this moment.

＊＊＊

Anise lived in a village called Rowen, located on the road between the capital, Artas, and the Drake family’s territory.

To be precise, she lived in the forest near the Brin River, quite far from Rowen.

It was such a dense forest that even lacked traces of people passing through, so no one would dare to think that there was a house in such a place.

“It’s awfully far.”

“The road is quite rough too. Isn’t it too dangerous for a woman to live alone…?”

Kyle and Sylvia muttered as they moved forward, cutting through the bushes and branches with a sickle in their hands.

It might be safe to hide and live in such a remote place, but on the other hand, it was a place where no one would know if someone disappeared in the event of an emergency.

Moreover, it wasn’t too far from the Brin River, so they were worried that the river would overflow and flood the entire forest, including the house, on days with heavy rain.

On the other hand, the deeper they went, the more they realized that they had done well to come and get Anise.

Shwiik-

“Hick!? K-Kyle! Be careful! A snake…!”

“Pelffligo.”

Just as a snake was hiding in the bushes and passing by their feet, Kyle’s mouth opened before Sylvia could even finish her sentence.

With a thud, a light appeared in the air and struck the snake, turning it into a pulp that blended into the bushes.

“Are you okay, Sylvia?”

“Yes, yes…. I’m sorry. I should have taken care of it…”

“It’s okay. It’s understandable to be surprised when a snake suddenly appears.”

Sylvia was ashamed that she had been so busy praising her enlightenment of magic in the carriage, but she was so surprised by a single snake that she didn’t even think of using magic.

But Kyle didn’t care much.

In the first place, using magic and overcoming fear were completely separate things.

Moreover, it was only natural for a woman who wasn’t even an adult to react that way when a snake suddenly popped out of the bushes.

With that thought, he led her by the hand and moved forward.

Shwiik-

“Kyle! It’s a snake!”

“So what? Take care of it yourself.”

“…….”

When Vermilion shouted in horror at another snake that appeared again, Kyle’s cold reaction, which was quite contrasting, returned.

Of course, Vermilion had a conscience, so he didn’t expect Kyle to treat him and Sylvia the same.

Still, he couldn’t help but feel bitter, thinking that the gap was too big, but he succeeded in killing the snake by casting the same magic as Kyle.

Regardless, the two were busy cuddling with each other, keeping a little distance away.

At this moment, Vermilion had to sink into deep regret for the first time, thinking, ‘I should have come alone.’

“I can finally see it.”

“Is that it? It’s certainly shabby.”

“It doesn’t even look like it can block the wind…”

As they made their way through the forest path, a shabby house finally came into view in the distance at the end of their gaze.

In fact, it was just called a house, but it was a place that looked quite difficult for anyone to live in.

It was just a facade made by cutting out wooden planks and stacking them on top of each other to somehow create a livable form.

Thinking that they had to take Anise out of this place as soon as possible, the three hurried their steps and approached.

“Anise! Are you there!? It’s Vermilion!”

Eventually, Vermilion arrived in front of the house and called out to Anise in a loud voice, but for some reason, there was no answer.

He apologized for the intrusion and rushed to check inside the house, but there was no trace of Anise there either.

“Could she have gone to chop wood or get something to eat?”

“I don’t think so. She’s someone who tried to solve everything in the vicinity because the surroundings are so rough.”

Kyle asked, expressing his doubts, and Vermilion shook his head.

Even when he was with her, Anise tried to solve everything near the house if possible.

She sometimes caught fish from the Brin River for meals, or picked berries that grew nearby.

There were plenty of trees nearby, so there was no need to go far.

“Kyle, we should look for her right away. Something might have happened to her.”

“Let’s do that. Vermilion, you take the west. Sylvia and I will take the east and look for her.”

“Understood.”

Sensing that the situation could turn dangerous if they weren’t careful, the three quickly shared their opinions and decided to split up and look for Anise.